


Marseille

by highqualityidiot



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pathcode Teasers, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-05
Updated: 2016-03-05
Packaged: 2018-05-24 22:17:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6168760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/highqualityidiot/pseuds/highqualityidiot
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Junmyeon's staying in an old, lonely house in the countryside of Marseille, trying to stay hidden and worrying over his friends. Then, one day all of a sudden, Sehun comes to meet him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Marseille

**Author's Note:**

> The fic takes place after/around the happenings in all of the teasers.

The rocking chair was old and placed next to the big windows that opened towards the rampant garden. When Junmyeon had first arrived at the house, he’d looked at the rocking chair a bit scornfully, its worn out paint and faded cushion on the seat, and had intentionally avoided the chair and the room it was in. It looked lonely and forgotten, like pretty much everything in that house, and Junmyeon often imagined how the old landlady must’ve sat there, rocking back and forth and watching her garden when she had still lived there. However, as days went by and Junmyeon got used to the house and the solitude, he found himself going to that room more often, and one evening, he finally sat down on the chair. It creaked under his weight and swayed backwards, startling him. Despite the uncomfortable jump in his stomach, Junmyeon leaned against the backrest and let the chair rock back and forth, and after a while he had to admit that it was actually rather soothing. 

_I will become like an old man and get a cabin fever in here, won’t I?_ Junmyeon thought. And it had only been a couple of days.

Since then, Junmyeon always sat in the rocking chair when he was feeling restless or stressed (which was often), or when he was reading a book or surfing the net to kill time. He was sitting there one evening when his phone dinged for a new message. The number was unknown but Junmyeon knew immediately who the sender was.

Sehun was coming to meet him.

\--

The taxi driver looked at him for quite a long while after Sehun had given him the address to where he wanted to go on a piece of creased paper. The driver muttered something under his breath in French when they were getting on the car but Sehun supposed there wasn’t any bigger problem as after inputting the address on his navigator the driver promptly took off, heading towards the countryside. Sehun sat silent, head resting against the car window, looking at the fields and houses flashing by. The drive was quite a long one, and when they kept turning to smaller and more winding sandy and bumpy roads after another, Sehun started understanding the driver’s earlier suspicion. He hoped the address was a right one. 

Finally, after what felt like hours, the road took its final turn and lead them to the yard of an old looking wooden villa. It looked like something out of movies, with its large dusty windows, chapping white paint and overgrown garden; so lonely and run-down and isolated that Sehun wouldn’t have thought it was the right place, hadn’t the door opened just then and Junmyeon peeked out. 

Sehun felt his heart jumping at the sight of the older one and he hastily bowed to the driver, counting enough Euro bills to his hand, and after thanking him in broken French he rushed out of the car, trying to balance his two bags and backpack in his arms. As soon as he’d closed the door, the taxi reversed away from the yard and drove off, leaving only dust clouds after it. 

Sehun took a couple of hesitant steps towards the house, suddenly not knowing how to face Junmyeon. How long had it been since they’d met the last time? He couldn’t remember. 

He watched Junmyeon opening the door more and finally stepping out, coming down the veranda stairs and walking to Sehun. The older looked the same yet different of how Sehun remembered him. His hair was lighter and un-styled, face pale and tired-looking. He looked so small and vulnerable, and yet Sehun could feel enormous relief wash over him when he looked at his hyung. When he was finally close enough, Junmyeon raised his hand and gently touched Sehun’s arm, a small but warm smile spreading on his face. Sehun restrained himself and settled for a small bow and smile himself. Junmyeon took his other bag and backpack from him and gestured towards the house.

“Come on in. It’s not too fancy but it’s sufficient.”

“Where did you find this place, hyung?” Sehun asked, looking around the yard.

Junmyeon shrugged. “I got lucky. It belongs to an old friendly lady who lives in the city and doesn’t really use it anymore. I was able to rent it from her.”

Junmyeon held the door open for Sehun. He stepped in and took off his shoes. The wooden flooring creaked under his steps. The house smelled old, of dust and forgotten times.

“It feels a bit like a haunted house, hyung,” Sehun said lowly.

Junmyeon let out a short laugh while closing the door and locking it. “Maybe. But I haven’t had time to be afraid of ghosts.”

Junmyeon quickly stepped past him and Sehun watched as the older put down his belongings next to the stairs leading to second floor. 

“Should I show you around the house? Or are you tired after traveling, do you want to rest?”  
Junmyeon spoke over his shoulder and wasn’t quite looking at Sehun. It made Sehun uneasy. He finally dropped down the other bag he’d been carrying and wondered if it was safe now that they were inside.

“No, hyung…” Sehun stepped closer to Junmyeon and turned him around by the grip on his arm. Sehun held on, waiting and slowly Junmyeon raised his head to look at Sehun in the eyes. The look was full of sadness and surrender and longing and it hurt Sehun’s heart but he was selfish enough to not let it go now. 

“I missed you,” he whispered barely audibly, stroking the hem of Junmyeon’s shirt with his thumb. He inched just a little bit closer–

–and suddenly Junmyeon’s hands were on his shoulders, then face, pulling Sehun down, and Junmyeon captured his lips with needy and longing kisses. Sehun felt himself melting under the older’s touch, pulling Junmyeon tightly against him. He had missed this so much. After finally pulling apart, he rested his forehead against Junmyeon’s, breathing in the other’s smell and feeling his breath on his face.

“You shouldn’t have come,” Junmyeon said.

“I know.”

Sudden and strong gust of wind outside made the windows of the house rattle.

\--

“Are you hungry?” Junmyeon asked after he’d quickly taken Sehun around the house. “I’m a bit short on food and ingredients right now. The landlady’s son brings me groceries once a week but he’s only coming day after tomorrow next time.”

“I brought some groceries with me,” Sehun said and picked up one of his bags. “Thought you might need some. I can make pasta if you’d like?”

Junmyeon smiled gratefully. “Thank you.”

Junmyeon hadn’t really cooked in the house. It’d been only him after all, and cooking for one was kind of useless in his opinion. So he’d mostly been eating pre-heated meals or instant noodles, and that was why even Sehun’s simple pasta felt like a luxury dinner for him. Junmyeon set up the table while the younger was cooking, breathing in the delicious smell and wondering how the house could suddenly feel so much warmer and livelier.

Sehun’s pasta was amazing and it somehow reminded Junmyeon of home. He praised it over and over again and watched how Sehun was trying to hide his pleased smile, biting his lip and his eyes turning into crescents. Junmyeon watched him fondly, his smile light but heart so heavy. It was amazing to have Sehun there with him, and yet…

“Hyung.”

Junmyeon raised his eyes and saw Sehun watching him. The younger cleared his throat and took a deep breath, playing with his fork. Junmyeon knew what Sehun was going to ask, the younger had evidently been wanting to talk about it since he arrived and had just been gathering courage.

“I was wondering have you heard of the others at all?”

Ah. Junmyeon put down his fork and spoon and crossed his arms on the table, taking his time to arrange all the mixed thoughts in his mind before finally answering.

“Last time I heard of someone was of Baekhyun when he was in Lyon around a week ago. Also Minseok is in Germany and Jongin seems to have been in Southern Britain at the same time you were in Scotland. That’s pretty much all I know. It’s been rather silent for the past couple of days.”

Sehun lowered his eyes and gave a slow nod. He must’ve expected more. 

“Silence isn’t always a bad thing,” Junmyeon reminded, both Sehun and himself. “It means they’re on the move and trying to stay hidden.” _It means they haven’t been caught._

“Hyung, I have some data I was able to collect in Scotland for you. I don’t know if it’ll be any use but... It’s on a memory card in my phone.”

“Thank you,” Junmyeon said. “I’ll take it later.”

Junmyeon went back to his meal, lost in thoughts for a while. He wasn’t able to tell Sehun everything after all. How he hadn’t been able to get contact with either Kyungsoo or Yixing in weeks, or about Chanyeol’s worrying reports of his powers, or how there were apparently some chasing both Baekhyun and Jongin right now and how they’d managed to escape only barely last time… 

Junmyeon didn’t want to keep all that hidden from Sehun, he just felt like the other didn’t need to hear everything right then. The younger had just travelled long time from Britain and he was also scared, even though he wasn’t showing it or would never admit it to Junmyeon. But Junmyeon had felt his power when Sehun had arrived. 

They had been running away from their powers and their chasers for so long that Junmyeon barely remembered his life before it. They had learned to control and even use their powers on the way, but there were still so many questions without answers, so much uncertainty and fear. Sometimes it felt like standing in complete darkness, without any light or map to guide the way. And yet they had to try. 

They ended the meal eventually and got up. Junmyeon helped Sehun carry the dirty dishes to the kitchen sink. Back home, he was very messy and hopeless with house chores but since he was like a guest in the house, he’d tried to be tidier. Tried.

“Hyung, you don’t really do your dishes in here either, do you?” Sehun asked when he looked at the random collection of used and unwashed mugs, glasses, bowls and plates. 

“I try my best,” Junmyeon said and shrugged and then gave Sehun a light smack when he noticed the younger’s eye roll. 

In the end, Sehun did the dishes for him.

\--

There were four bedrooms in the house and Junmyeon had been using the one that was downstairs since he didn’t feel like using the stairs to get to the bedroom. The room was a relatively big one with a double bed and antique looking chest and wardrobe and very grandmother-like floral wallpaper. 

Junmyeon didn’t really know why, but he asked Sehun if he wanted to use one of the rooms upstairs but the younger immediately declined, saying that he was too scared to sleep alone. As Junmyeon had guessed. Or even hoped. 

“This bed I use creaks a lot,” Junmyeon warned when they were getting ready to sleep that night.

Sehun snorted. “It’s a good thing there are no other people within 20 kilometer radius, then.”

“Watch it, you,” Junmyeon laughed, smacking Sehun with a pillow, but almost right after pulled the younger one on the bed with him. They curled up next to each other, Sehun pressing against his side and easily wrapping a loose arm around Junmyeon’s waist. Sehun gently nuzzled his cheek and kissed his temple, and Junmyeon had missed it all so much he felt like bursting with all the emotions inside him. He turned his head and pressed a couple of lingering kisses on Sehun’s lips. 

“I missed you too,” he said lowly and brushed a hand through Sehun’s soft locks a couple of times. 

Sehun slid his palm along Junmyeon’s side and across his stomach, his touch making Junmyeon’s skin tingle, especially after Sehun’s hand started inching lower and lower. 

“Is it okay…?” Sehun looked at him, eyes half-lidded, and at that point Junmyeon wouldn’t have been able to say no even if he’d wanted to. So he kissed the other as an answer, longer and deeper this time, and heard Sehun moan lowly against his mouth. It made pleasure bubble up deep in his stomach, and he climbed on top of Sehun. That night Junmyeon momentarily forgot all his worries and fears and doubts, because everything that filled his mind and all of his senses was Sehun.

\--

The next couple of days were something that Junmyeon would always look back to later on. They were pretty uneventful and lazy in the end, but that was exactly what made them so special. And Sehun was with him all the time. 

They kept each other awake at nights and slept late in the mornings. They took long baths in the old bathtub together. They cooked simple meals and ate with good appetite. Junmyeon had asked the landlady’s son for kimchi and even though it didn’t taste quite like it did back home, it was still delicious and reminded them of Korea. Junmyeon also took Sehun out; they had walks in the surrounding nature that was kind of bleak but still beautiful. They walked in the birch forest and along the river that flowed nearby. They lay down cuddling on the bed, scanning the countless French magazines there were piled up on tables and bookshelves. Sometimes Junmyeon sat in the rocking chair again and when Sehun saw him, he broke into a fit of giggles, calling Junmyeon a grandpa and then running away when the older threw a cushion at him. It was all so carefree. Junmyeon wished it could always be like that. 

\--

Sehun knew he couldn’t stay there forever. It had only been a couple of days but he had already kind of lost the track of time, the days mixing together and the time before his arrival feeling so distant. But he knew he needed to break the illusion soon and move, travel on because it was dangerous to stay in the same place too long. So little by little, he started packing his stuff to be ready to leave when needed. 

That evening, they were sitting side by side on the rattan couch in the living room, Junmyeon working on something on his laptop and Sehun playing a game on his phone. The night had already fallen, everything pitch black behind the big windows. 

Suddenly Junmyeon’s phone rang on the table, and he lifted both the laptop and Sehun’s legs off his lap to get up and pick up the phone. 

“Hello?” Sehun watched the older’s eyes widen in surprise.

“K-Kyungsoo?! Is that you?” Sehun automatically sat up straighter when he heard the other’s name but to his surprise, Junmyeon hurried out of the room and closed the door after him. The older had sounded and looked weirdly worried. Why was Kyungsoo calling all of a sudden? And why didn’t Junmyeon want to talk to him in front of Sehun? 

Sehun slipped his phone in his pocket and started pacing around the room, suddenly feeling very nervous. A strong wind started blowing outside. 

After what felt like an hour, Junmyeon finally returned, looking very tense.

“Hyung, what was that? What was Kyungsoo–“

Junmyeon interrupted him by shortly shaking his head. “Sehun, I’m sorry but I think you need to leave right now.”

“What?!”

“I already called you a taxi. Go straight to the airport and fly somewhere.”

Junmyeon grabbed Sehun’s wrist and started dragging him to the hall, but Sehun shook him off.

“But why? What did Kyungsoo say? You need to tell me or I’m not going.”

Sehun threw a defiant look at Junmyeon, who in turn still looked hesitant but also anxious. He finally heaved a deep sigh and stepped closer to Sehun, speaking quickly in low voice.

“I don’t have time to explain everything and I don’t even understand it all but most important thing right now is that Kyungsoo knows you’re here and he also knows about some chasers who are coming towards us right as we speak. We need to leave right now, both of us.”

“Why can’t we leave together, then?” Sehun asked.

“It’s too dangerous,” Junmyeon declined. “Also I need to stay here a bit longer and make sure we don’t leave anything important behind. You go first.”

“No–“

“Sehun, there’s no time.” Junmyeon’s voice was strict and final, and he dragged Sehun out of the room and to the hall. Sehun’s bags that he had packed earlier were waiting beside the stairs. 

“Go now and I promise I’ll contact you as soon as I can. Go to Eastern Europe. ”

Sehun only stood there watching Junmyeon. “Will you be okay, hyung?”

“Of course,” Junmyeon said, letting out a short laugh. He closed the gap between them and pulled Sehun into a hug, brushing a soothing hand along his back. “Don’t worry about me.”

The wind was still howling outside, and Sehun felt the familiar knot of nervousness settle in his stomach. He knew he needed to hurry. 

He pulled away enough to seek Junmyeon’s lips with his own, kissing him long and good for the last time. 

There was a sound of gravel crackling under the tires outside, and they could see the taxi lights through the windows.

“Go,” Junmyeon said and took a step back. Sehun hastily put on his shoes and grabbed his bags, turning to look at the older one once more, his hand on the door handle. Junmyeon gave him small, encouraging smile and a nod. _It’ll be alright._

Sehun returned the smile, the words getting stuck in his throat and then he finally threw the door open, striding to the taxi and not looking back anymore. The wind made his hair and the hems of his jacket fly, and he hurried to open the taxi door and climbed in. 

The farther the taxi got from the house, the more Sehun’s heart sank and he had to use all his willpower to not call or message Junmyeon. Instead, he searched departing flights to Eastern Europe and decided to fly to Macedonia. 

\--

The next day, Sehun read on online news how a heavily flooding river had caused a fuss in the countryside of Marseille.

 

Next week, he got a message from an unknown number. It only had a whale and a V sign emoticon in it but it told Sehun enough.

**Author's Note:**

> This was a birtday fic for my dear friend! I had been rewatching the Pathcode teasers and rereading some theories again and then I just got the idea for the fic. Thanks to Seho~
> 
> Every reference to the teasers and the all-around setting behind this all was intentionally vague/confusing/messy because I really have no idea about The True Meaning behind it all and didn't have time/energy to make up more about it. Sorry about that.  
> But I hope you enjoyed!


End file.
